Mollycoddling means to shelter and coddle kids in the same way a molly-cat coddles her kittens.
Just like "Tom" is the name for an intact male cat, "Molly" is the term for a mother cat. If you have ever seen the way a mother cat coddles her kittens, snatching them up by the scruff of the neck whenever there is any hint of danger, then you have seen 'mollycoddling' in action.
1) Hey! You're coddling those kids like a molly! Stop mollycoddling those kids or they will grow up worthless and pathetic!
2) The propensity for modern parents to mollycoddle their children in the 21st Century will inevitably lead to adults in 30 years who do not know how to cope with the real world.
What parents often do to their kids. When they explain something but leave out important details because they think it's inappropriate, or when they sugar-coat the truth because they think it's inappropriate, or when they flat-out lie about something because they think the truth is inappropriate. A good resource of getting around mollycoddling is Urban Dictionary, because it has almost all of the TRUE definitions of things that parents will often mollycoddle. Or one can Google a question that they've asked their parents to verify that nothing has been mollycoddled in the answer. Of course, many parents know of these resources so they keep their kid off of the internet.
Example 1) Kid: Mommy, how are babies made?
Mother: The stork, which is a magical bird.
Kid: *Google-searches question* *sniff* Mommy lied to me. Waaaaahhhh!!!!
Mother: Crap. My mollycoddle failed.
Example 2) Kid: Mommy, what are my balls used for?
Mother: Their just there.
Kid: *searches "Balls" on Urban Dictionary and Google* *sniff* Mommy lied! Waaaaah!
Mother: YOU'RE NEVER GOING ON THE INTERNET AGAIN!!